


and rooks brought forth

by blackkat



Series: hawks 'verse [9]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flirting, Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: The school’s star javelin thrower is asleep under Tae's table, and he’s snoring.
Relationships: Tae Diath/Doom (Star Wars)
Series: hawks 'verse [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825195
Comments: 26
Kudos: 564





	and rooks brought forth

The school’s star javelin thrower is asleep under Tae's table, and he’s snoring.

Bemused, Tae comes to a stop, shifting his biochem textbooks and his stack of notebooks in his good arm, and eyes the other man. He’s curled up in a ball, head pillowed on his backpack and legs tangled under one of the chairs, and Tae looks at him, then the other tables nearby. They're all occupied, and while he could technically find space for himself, he’s not really in the mood to deal with other people right now.

At least, not conscious people.

With a shrug—mental, because it hurts too much to _actually_ shrug right now—Tae moves around to the lone chair that the guy isn't tangled around, which is pressed up against his back. The thump of Tae's books hitting the table doesn’t make the guy stir, so Tae eases the chair back, then slides onto the seat, pulling his legs up and crossing them beneath himself so that he doesn’t accidentally kick one of the school’s track and field stars in the back of the head.

Like this, it’s hard to even tell anything is different than normal. There's sunlight coming through the window, the rustle of paper and the click of computer keys all around him, and Tae flips open his books, pulls a pencil out of the messy bun he finally managed to get his hair into, and drags his headphones up. The wash of bright noise makes him breathe out in relief, and he closes his eyes for a moment, the quick beat of Nico's favorite big band music a familiar comfort when the rest of the world is too loud.

He misses Nico, even if they just talked yesterday. Having his uncle around is a relief from all the staid formality of the Diath family, and even with the recent drama of his fourth divorce from Dooku, Tae would rather have him nearby than anyone else. And not just for the help with his homework.

Though there is, admittedly, a lot of help that Tae probably needs. Tae looks over the stack of assignments he’s going to have to finish before the weekend and wants to sigh. Maybe Elora was right and he should have gone into law instead of science, like she did. Not that her course-load is looking all the much better right now.

Nico would say _no way out but through_ and then cuff him in the back of the head for whining, Tae thinks with a faint smile. He’s patient, but—not that patient. And more than that, he always knows when Tae just needs a hard push and one big distraction to drown out all the rest. Music, usually, but his uncle’s voice sometimes, too, explaining and making Tae focus.

Taking a breath, Tae turns the volume up on his music, checks his phone one last time, and slides it away into his pocket, opening the first notebook. Below the table, the guy rolls over, a snore practically rattling the chairs, and Tae smothers a grin. He probably wouldn’t say it out loud, but—that’s kind of cute.

The first sign that Tae's fellow table occupant is awake comes with the sudden sharp wailing of a phone alarm, a jerk, a crash that kicks out the chair next to Tae and hits his so hard it overbalances. With a yelp, Tae drops his pencil and grabs for the table’s edge, but misses as he goes toppling out of his seat. There's a flare of alarm, a surge of near-panic at the thought of what Aubrie will do to him if he hurts himself _again_ after she released him from the campus clinic, and Tae twists as best he can.

It works. He slams into the library floor on his back instead of his bad shoulder, knocking all the air from his lungs _and_ the earbuds from his ears, and lies there for a minute, trying not to wheeze. He’s had more graceful falls, for sure. The fact that this one was from a chair and not a sheer rock face is probably good. Just not for his dignity.

At least it’s late enough that the library is mostly empty now, Tae tells himself, and tries not to groan as he gets his good arm beneath himself.

“ _Fuck_ ,” the guy says, and a second later chairs rattle aside. A face appears above Tae, creased with worry, and the guy says, “Is that a _sling_? Did you already have a broken arm? Did I hurt you?”

“Not as much as the cliff face I fell down on Monday, if it makes you feel better,” Tae jokes, but from the mild horror on the guy’s face, it doesn’t. He wraps an arm around Tae's back, hauling him up to sit, and Tae hisses as his arm moves a little too much for the sake of his shoulder. The guy freezes, but Tae waves his good hand.

“Not you, just—how it is,” he says. “I shouldn’t have been sitting right on top of you, sorry.”

The javelin guy—and damn it, Tae should probably know something about him other than the fact that he’s a Fett, which is obvious just from looking at him, but javelin is literally the only track and field sport he pays any attention to at all, and that’s solely because of this guy’s shoulders, so Tae is usually too distracted to catch a name—goes faintly pink in the face, but grimaces. “I'm so sorry,” he says. “I didn’t think anyone sat back here.”

“It’s fine,” Tae says firmly. “I should have sat somewhere else, but all the tables were full when I got here, and I honestly forgot you were down there.” He offers the guy a smile, just as the tie in his hair finally gives up the ghost and strands spring for freedom. “Oh, _drat_.”

The guy laughs, bright and surprised, and sits back on his heels. Tae gives him a rueful smile, blowing a strand out of his eyes, and says, “Don’t laugh, it was ugly but took me an _hour_ to get it up with one hand.”

“Sorry,” the guy says, smirking. He pauses, looking Tae over, and then says, “I'm Doom. My little brother has long hair, and I've put it up a few times, if you want me to help.”

“Please,” Tae says on a sigh, because his only other option is slinking his way to Zule or Kass, and they’ll both laugh at him. “Tae, and thank you.”

“No problem.” Doom hesitates, then says, “Are you okay? Really? You hit hard.”

“Less hard than I could have,” Tae says, mostly laughing at himself as he crosses his legs beneath himself. “It wasn’t that far to fall.”

Doom snorts, but he shifts around behind Tae, picking up the hair tie where it’s bounced towards freedom. “My brother Kix would kill me if I hurt someone who was already injured,” he says. Pauses, and then adds with a grimace, “For sleeping in the library, too.”

Tae is fairly certain that Aubrie knows Kix, and that they work in the clinic together, and he’s to be feared for that reason alone. “I won't tell anyone at the clinic if you don’t,” he says, and Doom chuckles.

“Deal,” he agrees. “As long as you're sure you didn’t hurt yourself.”

“I'm fine. Really.” Tae holds very, very still as callused fingers skim the back of his neck, gathering up his hair, and reflects belatedly that this might not have been the best way to deal with his raging infatuation with Doom’s incredibly impressive shoulders.

“Good.” There's a faint tug as Doom pulls his hair back, and then his hands pause, knuckles resting against Tae's nape. “Bun? Or tail?”

Tae considers for a moment, then catches himself weighing which makes him look better and smiles wryly at himself. “Bun,” he says, because that’s the one he’s least capable of on his own and he misses it. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Your hair’s not nearly as much of a mess as Tup's can be.” There's a trace of fondness in Doom’s voice that makes Tae smile, and as he pulls away Tae puts a hand up. The bun is higher than he normally wears it, but he’s not about to object.

“You always sleep in the library?” he asks as Doom rises to his feet. When he offers Tae a hand, Tae takes it gladly, and lets Doom pull him back to his feet.

“Only when practice is cancelled,” Doom says, rueful. “Uh—track and field, for—”

“The javelin,” Tae finishes for him, and Doom freezes. Whoops. Quickly, Tae raises his hand, and says, “I watched your last meet, my friend Kass is a sprinter. You're really good. But you probably already know that, since you won.”

Tae has a problem closing his mouth sometimes. It’s…a pain. Especially in front of cute guys. With a wince, he forces himself not to babble, and gives Doom an apologetic smile.

Doom’s ears are red. Just the tips, but—it’s obvious beneath his crew cut. “Kass Tod? She’s good.” He opens his mouth, but before he can say anything else, his phone buzzes again, loud enough to make him twitch. Quickly, he pulls it out, then winces. “The last bus is in twenty minutes,” he says. “I should go.”

Tae blinks, glancing up at the clock on the wall. He hadn’t realized it was that late. “Damn it. Me too.”

Doom glances at Tae, then at the mess of books and notebooks and binders that have managed to ooze out across the surface of the table, and then back at Tae. “Need some help?” he asks.

Tae doesn’t flush. He _doesn’t_. “No, it’s fine, you should go. I can manage—”

“Not in time to catch the bus,” Doom says firmly, and asks, “Any pages need to be marked?”

He’s—really nice. Or really guilty. But honestly, right now Tae will take full advantage of it and feel bad later. He’d really rather not have to call a cab, or bother Mak for a ride. “No, it’s fine.” He starts ordering his notebooks as Doom gathers the textbooks, and is just straightening with them when Doom deftly slips them out of his hands and tucks the whole stack under his arm.

Those, Tae reflects as he eyes him, are _really_ impressive shoulders. Probably perfect for hanging on to. Not that Tae has ever had any thoughts about that, of course.

“Thanks,” he says, because unlike Nico he can be polite to his crush and not deliberately aggravate him into a series of spite-driven marriages and divorces. “You're sure you don’t want me to carry some of them?”

Doom smiles at him, and he has a _dimple_. Tae regrets not having the right to kiss it. “It’s like strength training. I skipped the gym today, anyway.”

“I really couldn't tell,” Tae says, unable to help himself, and Doom’s ears go two shades darker. He clears his throat, and Tae busies himself with grabbing his bag and pushing the chairs back in to hide his smile.

“Ready?” Doom asks, a little gruff, and Tae shoulders his bag and nods.

“Ready,” he confirms. “Thanks, Doom. I probably wouldn’t have made it in time alone.”

“No problem,” Doom says, and falls into step with Tae as they head out of the quiet library. He keeps his eyes ahead of them, and when Tae glances at him, he has a strange look on his face, like he’s conflicted. Tae wants to frown, but he forces himself to relax and stop stressing. Doom’s probably just worried about missing the bus.

And then, just as the campus gate comes into view, Doom stops short. Tae blinks, casting a glance ahead of them to see that the bus is just rounding the corner towards the stop, and then turns, only to find Doom watching him full-on.

“I don’t know where you normally get off,” Doom says, “and I'm not trying to find out! But do you want to stop and get a coffee with me, or something? As an apology for me knocking over your chair.”

It feels a little like Tae's heart is too high in his chest, beating just a little too hard and fast. He can't help the smile spreading over his face, and it’s—warm. It’s a warm, sweet thought.

“I could do coffee. Not as an apology,” he says. “But—how about as a date?”

Doom grins at him, and—that dimple is really deadly. “A date sounds _great_ ,” he says, relieved, and Tae grins back.

When Doom holds out his hand, Tae takes it, and—

Well. They almost miss the bus anyway. But Tae can't really bring himself to mind.


End file.
